1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a sewing machine provided with a spool pin stand on which a display device is mounted for displaying a color of needle thread used for sewing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multineedle sewing machines have conventionally been put to practical use in order that colorful embroidery patterns may be sewn using embroidery threads of a plurality of colors. One of the multineedle sewing machines comprises a spool pin stand having a plurality of spool pins to which thread spools are attachable respectively and a needle bar mechanism including a plurality of, for example, six, nine or twelve needle bars which are aligned and have lower ends to which sewing needles are attached respectively. The multineedle sewing machine also comprises a needle bar switching mechanism which selects the needle bar being driven vertically from a plurality of the needle bars, a plurality of thread tension regulators applying tension to respective needle threads and a plurality of thread take-ups. When embroidery sewing is to be carried out using the multineedle sewing machine, an operator attaches needle thread spools of a plurality of thread colors necessary for embroidery sewing to the spool pins respectively and thereafter, passes a needle thread drawn from the thread spool through the corresponding thread tension regulator and thread take-ups. The needle thread is finally passed through an eye of the sewing needle.
On the other hand, a thread passage along which a needle thread drawn from each thread spool is supplied to a sewing needle is generally determined as a threading passage for every spool pin. Each needle thread is passed along the thread passage through a thread tension regulator so that the needle thread is prevented from coming into contact with and being entangled with another needle thread. However, the spool pins and thread tension regulators come closer to one another as the number of sewing needles becomes larger. As a result, there is a problem that the threading passage is easily mis-selected. In view of this problem, various proposals have been made in order that the needle thread may be prevented from being erroneously passed.
For example, JP-A-2001-54692 discloses a thread guide device for a multineedle embroidery sewing machine, in which twelve light-emitting diodes are provided on a thread guide passage (thread passing passage) near a plurality of thread guide tension discs and a plurality of thread tension members (corresponding to thread tension regulators) both corresponding to twelve needle bars respectively. When the operator operates a selection key on an operation panel to select a needle bar number, the light-emitting diode on the thread guide passage corresponding to the selected needle bar is turned on, so that the operator can be prevented from error in thread passing.
However, the light-emitting diodes are disposed on the thread guide passage near the thread guide tension discs and the thread tension members both corresponding to the needle bars respectively and one of the light-emitting diodes is merely turned on when the needle thread is passed. Accordingly, the operator cannot clearly determine to which spool pin the thread spool should be attached even though he or she can understand a passage along which the needle thread is passed. Consequently, there is a possibility that the operator may attach a thread spool to an erroneous spool pin. In this case, the needle thread cannot be drawn from the thread spool smoothly such that sewing cannot be carried out normally.